The Impact of Priming for Inequality on Academic Motivation

Inequality remains a persistent issue affecting minorities across all domains. In the STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) field, women often encounter barriers due to gender biases leading to unequal treatment and opportunities for the individual. It was found that perceiving either or both types of inequalities (inequality of outcomes and inequality of opportunities) can impact one’s motivation. This study merges the two into one and therefore investigates the effect of priming for inequality on student’s academic motivation in STEM subjects, aiming to contribute to the broader understanding of gender inequality in STEM and therefore facilitate its reduction. Past research has mostly addressed challenges and barriers women face in STEM, yet gaps persist in understanding how other factors such as academic motivation get impacted by perceiving inequality and how that again influences the woman’s experience in STEM. Results indicate that priming for inequality did not...Show moreInequality remains a persistent issue affecting minorities across all domains. In the STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) field, women often encounter barriers due to gender biases leading to unequal treatment and opportunities for the individual. It was found that perceiving either or both types of inequalities (inequality of outcomes and inequality of opportunities) can impact one’s motivation. This study merges the two into one and therefore investigates the effect of priming for inequality on student’s academic motivation in STEM subjects, aiming to contribute to the broader understanding of gender inequality in STEM and therefore facilitate its reduction. Past research has mostly addressed challenges and barriers women face in STEM, yet gaps persist in understanding how other factors such as academic motivation get impacted by perceiving inequality and how that again influences the woman’s experience in STEM. Results indicate that priming for inequality did not significantly affect academic motivation and that there is no significant difference between males and females, challenging previous findings. Potential explanations include study limitations such as an ineffective priming technique or a non-representative sample. The findings necessitate for future studies to reevaluate existing findings and explore other factors that could influence this relationship. Furthermore, future studies should explore other priming techniques and employ a more specific priming.Show less

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The Impact of Priming for Inequality on Academic Motivation